I bought the $25 desk at a museum sale in California. The rolltop doesn’t function, one of the legs is coming off, and I have to pry the drawers open, but I like how the desk part slides a little forward. It makes me feel as if I always have secret extra space, the way our apartment includes a long frosted glass window with a light behind to suggest that there’s another room. The French doors open to the living room/dining room/everywhere else room. A Murphy bed fronted with bookshelves folds down beside the desk for optimum concentration. My office is essentially the bedroom. I don’t know what to say about that.
The drawers are full of dreary office supplies, postcards I can’t live without, vast quantities of clips stolen from various academic appointments. The snakey cord underneath will someday kill me. The chair is hard. My son made a pillow for it years ago but it’s in shreds. The standing files loom over me to remind me of work undone, but I never use them. Ditto the rolltop cubbies. The box on top of the desk is full of jewels. Well, they’re jewels to me.
The photograph at an angle is by Geoffrey Biddle who photographed my son and husband and I making faces. The painting behind the chair that you can barely see is by David Loeb. I had a crush on him at Yaddo one year between husbands and would hang around his studio. He finally used me as a model. I remember well the thrill of the sound of the brush running over the canvas—but in the painting I’m fully clothed, wearing a wool jacket, with my back to him. He gave me the painting years later, apologizing for missing all the signals.
With regard to my computer, I was told I exude some kind of acid from my fingertips that eats off the letters on my keyboard. I’ve had it replaced several times and you can see the x where my husband attempted to identify the keys for himself. I don’t remember what key fell off in the bottom row it happened so long ago, another frill from Mr. Apple. For your viewing pleasure, I have included the disgusting amount of grime that builds up between and on the keys where my finger acid doesn’t work.
Light is an issue. Never enough. Let that be on my epitaph.
Terese Svoboda is the author of, most recently, Weapons Grade and Trailer Girl. Her next book, Pirate Talk or Mermalade, will be published by Dzanc Books this September. Shya Scanlon interviewed her for HTMLGIANT. You can read the first chapter of Pirate Talk here.
Tags: dzanc books, pirate talk, terese svoboda
I really enjoyed that. And another Dzanc book to add to the list? Sweet. Off to bet the ponies, daddy need to hit the trifecta if he’s going to keep up with all of the great books coming out this year. The secret is to BOX that trifecta. I once hit a boxed trifecta for $6 that netted me $1,600. No joke.
I really enjoyed that. And another Dzanc book to add to the list? Sweet. Off to bet the ponies, daddy need to hit the trifecta if he’s going to keep up with all of the great books coming out this year. The secret is to BOX that trifecta. I once hit a boxed trifecta for $6 that netted me $1,600. No joke.
terese svoboda is a badass and also has the same last name as an elementary schoolteacher of mine. that computer is beat, but in a good way. life grimed into it.
terese svoboda is a badass and also has the same last name as an elementary schoolteacher of mine. that computer is beat, but in a good way. life grimed into it.
I think it’s also the last name of the characters ‘Nadine’ and ‘Wade’ from the hit 90s sitcom, Grace Under Fire.
I think it’s also the last name of the characters ‘Nadine’ and ‘Wade’ from the hit 90s sitcom, Grace Under Fire.
I really enjoyed that. And another Dzanc book to add to the list? Sweet. Off to bet the ponies, daddy need to hit the trifecta if he’s going to keep up with all of the great books coming out this year. The secret is to BOX that trifecta. I once hit a boxed trifecta for $6 that netted me $1,600. No joke.
i just got a desk i like a lot, but the top doesn’t slide out like yours. i’m jealous. my keyboards also take a sebaceous beating. to try and preserve my latest, i got a keyboard guard off ebay from japan. the keys that are the grimiest are the [W] [1!] [2@] and [F12], which puts my computer to sleep. thank for sharing.
i just got a desk i like a lot, but the top doesn’t slide out like yours. i’m jealous. my keyboards also take a sebaceous beating. to try and preserve my latest, i got a keyboard guard off ebay from japan. the keys that are the grimiest are the [W] [1!] [2@] and [F12], which puts my computer to sleep. thank for sharing.
terese svoboda is a badass and also has the same last name as an elementary schoolteacher of mine. that computer is beat, but in a good way. life grimed into it.
That grime, like the patina on the handle of a hammer!
That grime, like the patina on the handle of a hammer!
I think it’s also the last name of the characters ‘Nadine’ and ‘Wade’ from the hit 90s sitcom, Grace Under Fire.
i just got a desk i like a lot, but the top doesn’t slide out like yours. i’m jealous. my keyboards also take a sebaceous beating. to try and preserve my latest, i got a keyboard guard off ebay from japan. the keys that are the grimiest are the [W] [1!] [2@] and [F12], which puts my computer to sleep. thank for sharing.
That grime, like the patina on the handle of a hammer!